A thin secondary battery 1 having a plate shape as in FIGS. 13 and 14 is used in many technical fields. The thin secondary battery 1 has a configuration in which a pair of sheet-shaped electrode terminals 5, 7 project out of a flat case 3 in one direction.
As in the case of a conventional secondary battery, after being produced in a factory, the thin secondary battery 1 undergoes several charge-discharge tests for quality inspection, and then only that of acceptable quality is shipped in a half-charged state as a product. Patent Document 1 discloses a charge-discharge and inspection system for thin secondary batteries of this type.
The conventional example includes: a battery container in which multiple thin secondary batteries are housed and arranged in a certain direction by inserting electrode terminals of thin secondary batteries into multiple insertion holes formed in a bottom plate of the battery container; a chuck mechanism for chucking the electrode terminals projecting from the insertion holes of the battery container; a first action (elevating) mechanism for moving the chuck mechanism; and a second action (elevating) mechanism for driving the chuck mechanism. The conventional example is configured such that after placing and arranging the multiple thin secondary batteries in the battery container, the chuck mechanism is moved closer to the battery container by the first action mechanism and is then driven to chuck the electrode terminals by the second action mechanism.